1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fountain dispensing machines and, more particularly, to fountain dispensers that incorporate automated control and diagnostics systems for monitoring status and maintaining proper performance.
2. Description of the Background Art
Fountain dispensers are commonly used to provide beverages, both carbonated and non-carbonated, to consumers. As a means of delivering a fresh beverage on demand, fountain dispensers find widespread usage in such places, among others, as restaurants, convenience stores, movie theaters, amusement parks, and grocery stores. Typically, a fountain dispenser delivers a beverage in response to a specific selection made by the recipient. By pushing a particular button or pressing a particular lever, for example, the chosen beverage is drawn from its reservoir, flows through dedicated hosing, and pours through a nozzle and into a cup or other receptacle for consumption. In the case of a carbonated beverage, carbonated water, or soda, flows through its own hosing until it is combined with syrup to form a properly mixed product.
When dispensing a carbonated beverage, the fountain dispenser must mix the soda and given syrup in the correct ratio to achieve a beverage of satisfactory quality. Over time, the actual ratio delivered by the fountain dispenser may drift to levels that result in beverages falling outside specified quality requirementsxe2x80x94a condition leading to an undesirable, unintended taste. When this occurs, the ratio must be corrected.
In previously known fountain dispensers, soda-syrup ratios are measured by drawing each component into a graduated cylinder and comparing the respective, actual fluid levels to calibrated levels. To make this measurement, one must first remove the facing and nozzle of the fountain. If the levels depart from the calibrated levels, a technician adjusts the appropriate valve settings until the ratio returns to acceptable levels. Under a cruder approach, the beverage can alternately be taste-tested and the valve settings adjusted, to interactively arrive at a desired, albeit inexact, ratio. At any rate, both methods entail cumbersome, time-consuming maneuvers to measure and correct the soda-syrup ratio.
In addition to delivering the correct soda-syrup ratio, a fountain dispenser must produce and provide carbonated water of sufficiently high quality. To accomplish this, fountain dispensing systems known to the art typically rely upon the activation of a low-level probe within the carbonator tank. When the water level within the tank drops to a certain point, the low-level probe indicates that it is exposed to air rather than water; setting in motion a sequence whereby a valve opens and water fills the tank. This technique, however, introduces inefficiency by requiring that the carbonator tank be large enough to store a static reservoir of water to accommodate unanticipated periods of high pour demand.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an intelligent fountain dispenser that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
In accordance with the present invention, a fountain dispenser operates in conjunction with an automated control and diagnostics system. The system performs diagnostics in real time, providing the advantage of verifying that the dispenser is performing correctly. In addition, the present invention intelligently recognizes the development of performance problems and, in turn, provides notification of such problems. Notification can come in various forms, including, for example, a beeper alert inside the dispenser, a diagnostic display, or delivery of the information to a remote monitoring system.
The present intelligent fountain dispenser includes a controller, valves for syrup and water, and a carbonator valve. The controller communicates with the valves by way of current-sensing resistors associated with the valves. When a valve is performing correctly, the corresponding current flowing through that valve is normal. Accordingly, the controller recognizes that the sensed valve is operating properly. A malfunctioning valve, conversely, results in an abnormal current, i.e., a current deviating from the normal current, flowing through the current-sensing resistor. In this case, the controller detects the abnormal current and immediately gives notification of a fault condition. Consequently, an operator or technician becomes aware of the problem as soon as it occurs, and repairs can be made at once. With commonly used fountain dispensers, the need for making a repair often becomes apparent only when a consumer has voiced displeasure over the taste of the beverage. This may result in the delivery of any number of sub-standard drinks before the problem is brought to the attention of the owner.
The controller also has the capability to recognize the exact type of consumer interface, including an input panel, employed by the dispenser. In this regard, each type of interface carries with it a unique signature resistor. Thus, for example, the controller can recognize the presence of a single- or multi-flavored nozzle and the particular delivery methodologyxe2x80x94e.g., push button, lever, push button and lever, portion control setting, or overfill devicexe2x80x94that happens to be installed on the dispenser at a given time. Further, the signature resistor of each interface communicates to the controller the specific valve configuration as well as the type of input panel landscape the consumer sees. Knowledge of the input panel landscape provides another performance check for the fountain dispenser in that the controller can, upon powering-up, check the landscape for occurrences of, among other things, alterations or damage from vandalism, component fatigue, and accidental reconfiguration without the proper steps having been taken. If any undesirable landscape-detectable conditions are present, the controller can then issue the appropriate alert to initiate corrective action.
Another advantage of the present intelligent fountain dispenser comes from facilitated reconfiguration in the field. Toward this end, software embedded in the controller contains the requisite pairings of water and syrup supplies with given delivery switches. With this stored data, the controller can prompt a technician with step-by-step instructions as the dispenser is configured. This ensures that all inputs are properly identified and mapped to the appropriate water and syrup supplies.
The controller of the present invention also can operate in conjunction with a carbonator tank to prevent the introduction of poor quality carbonated water into a beverage. The components involved in this operation include a flowmeter for measuring the amount of carbonated water dispensed, high-level and low-level probes inside the tank for maintaining an adequate supply of water, a carbonator valve for allowing water into the tank, and an input panel that triggers a pour sequence. By monitoring these components, the controller avoids an inefficiency inherent in maintaining the proper water level in known carbonator tanks, namely, activating the carbonator valve to add water into the tank only once the water level dips far enough that the low-level probe is in contact with air rather than water. Instead, the controller, owing to its constant monitoring of the flowmeter and the signals received from the input panel, more precisely recognizes when the water level in the tank is nearing a point that requires replenishment. Thus, the controller can command the carbonator valve to release additional water into the tank before the sinking water level itself reaches a point where the low-level probe is in contact with air rather than water. This provides the advantage of improved drink quality by continually maintaining a higher level of water in the carbonator tank. By keeping the tank more full, the water remains in contact with the CO2 longer, ensuring higher carbonation levels. This is particularly desirable during periods of high pour demand. By contrast, existing designs allow water in the tank to deplete to such a low level before refilling that there often is inadequate exposure time with the CO2 during periods of high pour demand.
Moreover, this operation offers a more efficient fill cycle, permitting the use of a smaller carbonator tank. By continually monitoring the water level and maintaining it at an adequate level, the controller of the present invention obviates the need for the customary larger tanks, with their greater static storage capacity designed to account for unanticipated higher draw profiles.
The present invention also provides for automated troubleshooting of the high-level and low-level probes. By communicating with the input panel, flowmeter, and carbonator valve, the controller recognizes when the carbonator tank is full. If the high-level probe does not respond by indicating that the tank is full, the controller signals an alert that the probe is malfunctioning. Similarly, the controller recognizes when the tank is approaching empty. If the low-level probe does not respond by indicating that the tank is almost empty, the controller signals an alert that it is malfunctioning.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the system and method particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof, as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.